Lower Your 1998 Dodge Neon Insurance Cost

Want the cheapest insurance coverage rates for your Dodge Neon? Are you sick and tired of scraping the payment together to buy car insurance? You are in the same boat as millions of other consumers. Consumers have many car insurance companies to insure vehicles with, and even though it’s nice to have a selection, lots of choices makes it harder to adequately compare rates.

It’s a great practice to do rate comparisons before your policy renews because insurance rates are rarely the same from one policy term to another. Despite the fact that you may have had the lowest rates on Neon coverage six months ago there may be better deals available now. There is a lot of wrong information about insurance coverage online, so I’m going to show you a lot of great tips on how to save money.

Quick Auto Insurance Quotes

Cutting your auto insurance rates doesn’t have to be difficult. The only thing you need to do is take the time comparing rates from different insurance companies. It is quite easy and can be accomplished using a couple different methods.

  1. The best way to find low rates is to use a rate comparison form (click to open form in new window). This method eliminates the need for repetitive form entry for each company. In just a few minutes this one form gets you price quotes from multiple companies.
  2. A different way to compare rate quotes requires a visit to each individual company website to complete their respective quote request forms. For instance, let’s assume you want to compare rates from Auto-Owners, Liberty Mutual and Farmers. You would have to visit each site and enter your policy data, which is why the first method is more popular. For a list of links to companies insuring cars in your area, click here.
  3. The least efficient way of comparing rate quotes is to waste gas driving to insurance agents’ offices. Buying insurance online makes this process obsolete unless you require the professional guidance of a licensed agent. However, consumers can get prices online but buy from a local insurance agent and you’ll learn how to do that later.

It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just ensure you’re using apples-to-apples coverage limits for every company. If you have differing limits you will not be able to determine the lowest rate for your Dodge Neon.

How can Allstate, Geico and Progressive save drivers who switch?

Consumers constantly see and hear ads for the lowest price auto insurance by companies like Allstate, Geico and Progressive. They all seem to have a common claim that you’ll save big if you switch to them.

How do they all make almost identical claims? It’s all in the numbers.

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the driver that earns them a profit. For example, a profitable customer could possibly be over the age of 50, has no tickets, and has a short commute. A customer who matches those parameters will get very good rates and most likely will save when switching.

Drivers who are not a match for this ideal profile will be quoted higher premiums which usually ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. Company advertisements say “drivers who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that much money. That’s the way companies can truthfully advertise the savings.

This emphasizes why you absolutely need to quote coverage with many companies. You cannot predict which auto insurance company will provide you with the cheapest Dodge Neon insurance rates.

What determines your Dodge Neon insurance premium

An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that help determine the price you pay for insurance coverage. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to much lower annual insurance costs.

  • Tickets mean higher rates – Drivers with clean records receive lower rates than their less careful counterparts. Even one speeding ticket may increase your cost by as much as thirty percent. Drivers with dangerous tickets like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions are required to submit a SR-22 form to the state department of motor vehicles in order to prevent a license revocation.
  • Mature drivers pay less – More mature drivers are viewed as being more responsible, tend to file fewer claims and are safer drivers. Youthful drivers have a tendency to be careless and easily distracted when driving therefore insurance coverage rates are much higher.
  • What are your deductibles? – Physical damage insurance, also known as collision and other-than-collision, is used to repair damage to your Dodge. Examples of covered claims are running into the backend of another car, damage caused by hail, and burglary. Physical damage deductibles are how much you are required to spend out-of-pocket before a claim is paid by your company. The more expense you’re willing to pay, the lower your rates will be on Neon coverage.
  • Big city or small town – Being located in small towns and rural areas can be a good thing when talking about insurance coverage. Drivers who live in large cities have much more traffic and longer commute times. Fewer drivers translates into fewer accidents and a lower car theft rate.
  • Poor credit can mean higher rates – A driver’s credit rating is a huge factor in determining what you pay for insurance coverage. Drivers with high credit ratings tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than drivers with lower ratings. If your credit history can use some improvement, you could potentially save money when insuring your 1998 Dodge Neon by improving your rating.

Don’t miss these discounts

The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but companies offer discounts to help bring down the price. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you quote, but a few must be inquired about before you get the savings. If you’re not getting every credit you qualify for, you’re just leaving money on the table.

  • Payment Method – By paying your policy upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you can actually save on your bill.
  • Discount for Swiching Early – Some companies give discounts for signing up prior to your current policy expiring. The savings is around 10%.
  • No Charge for an Accident – Certain companies will forgive one accident before hitting you with a surcharge if your claims history is clear for a certain period of time.
  • Passive Restraint Discount – Factory air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may earn rate discounts of up to 25% or more.
  • Service Members Pay Less – Being on active duty in the military could be rewarded with lower premiums.

A little note about advertised discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like it’s possible to get free car insurance, it just doesn’t work that way. Any qualifying discounts will help reduce your premiums.

To see a list of insurers offering car insurance discounts, click this link.

When might I need help?

When it comes to buying coverage, there really is no one size fits all plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs and your policy should reflect that. For instance, these questions could help you determine whether you would benefit from professional advice.

  • Is my business laptop covered if it gets stolen from my vehicle?
  • Does my 1998 Dodge Neon qualify for pleasure use?
  • Why am I be forced to buy a membership to get insurance from some companies?
  • Do I have coverage for damage caused while driving under the influence?
  • Is there coverage for injuries to my pets?
  • Is my trailer covered?
  • What companies insure drivers after a DUI or DWI?
  • Is my Dodge Neon covered if I use it for business?
  • Is my 1998 Dodge Neon covered for flood damage?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but a few of them apply, you might consider talking to a licensed agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It only takes a few minutes and can provide invaluable advice.

Coverage specifics

Learning about specific coverages of a auto insurance policy can be of help when determining which coverages you need at the best deductibles and correct limits. The terms used in a policy can be ambiguous and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Shown next are the usual coverages found on the average auto insurance policy.

Medical expense coverage – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for expenses for things like ambulance fees, EMT expenses, surgery and hospital visits. They can be utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover you and your occupants and will also cover being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP coverage is not an option in every state and may carry a deductible

Uninsured or underinsured coverage – This gives you protection when the “other guys” do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered claims include hospital bills for your injuries as well as damage to your 1998 Dodge Neon.

Since many drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their limits can quickly be used up. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is a good idea. Frequently these coverages are set the same as your liablity limits.

Liability insurance – This coverage protects you from injuries or damage you cause to other’s property or people that is your fault. It protects you from claims by other people, and doesn’t cover damage to your own property or vehicle.

Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show values of 25/50/25 which means $25,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, $50,000 for the entire accident, and $25,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Alternatively, you may have one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which combines the three limits into one amount rather than limiting it on a per person basis.

Liability coverage pays for claims such as medical expenses, court costs and bail bonds. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a decision to put some thought into, but you should buy as high a limit as you can afford.

Comprehensive protection – Comprehensive insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first must pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive can pay for things such as damage from getting keyed, damage from a tornado or hurricane, theft, falling objects and hitting a deer. The highest amount a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Collision coverage – Collision coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You have to pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision insurance covers things such as rolling your car, crashing into a ditch, colliding with another moving vehicle and hitting a parking meter. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. You can also raise the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Save your hard earned cash

We just presented a lot of ways to reduce 1998 Dodge Neon insurance prices online. It’s most important to understand that the more price quotes you have, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. Drivers may discover the most savings is with some of the smallest insurance companies. Some small companies often have lower prices on specific markets than the large multi-state companies such as State Farm, Geico and Nationwide.

As you prepare to switch companies, it’s not a good idea to reduce needed coverages to save money. In many instances, an insured cut comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to find out they didn’t purchase enough coverage. Your strategy should be to find the BEST coverage at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.

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